Molded fiber products, manufactured with waste paper or other natural fibers, are well established in many food service and packaging applications, including plates, trays, bowls, egg cartons, clamshell containers, cup carriers, packaging for fragile items, packaging for household appliances and many other known items. For many applications, molded fiber is less expensive than plastic or foam packaging, and is often considered to be a more environmentally sustainable packaging material since it is typically produced from recycled materials and can be recycled again after its useful life-cycle.
One of the drawbacks to using molded fiber is the difficulty of molding fine details into products. In the process of manufacturing molded fiber products, fine mesh wires, perforated metal plates, or porous fabrics are used to remove water from the slurry of raw materials. For simplicity, these fine mesh wires, perforated metal plates, and porous fabrics will all be referred to herein as “wire mesh structures.” The wire mesh structure leaves imprints on at least one side of the molded fiber article, referred to herein as the “wire side,” giving a roughened surface, referred to herein as a “wire mark.”
One of the techniques that can be used to customize the appearance of an article on the wire mark side involves pressing the wire mesh structure with a pattern or logo that will then be imprinted on the surface of the molded fiber article. However, only a coarse level of detail can be attained because the definition achievable by this technique is limited by the texture of the wire mesh structure.
Another technique that can be used to customize the appearance of an article involves drying the article in a mold, with wire mesh structure on one side, and a smooth heated die on the other side. The smooth heated die can contain a logo or other embossment, which will be transferred to the molded fiber article in high detail. The limitation of this technique is that it can only be applied to one face of an article. Wire mesh is still needed to evacuate water or steam from the opposite face of the article, leaving the characteristic wire mark, with its previously discussed limitations on detail.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method capable of embossing a sharp logo or other smooth ornamentation or indicia on the side of a molded fiber article that would normally have a rough texture imparted by a wire mesh structure. A need also exists for a molded fiber article that includes a sharp logo or other smooth ornamentation or indicia on a surface of the article that would normally have a rough texture imparted by a wire mesh structure.